A technique has been developed (Palmer and Dabney, 1974; Palmer and Hyde, 1974, and unpublished data) whereby synthetic monomers, of a very large class of alpha, beta-unsaturated alkylating agents, can be firmly attached to tumor cells. Thus the alkyl side group peculiar to a particular alpha, beta-unsaturated compound can be introduced into the antigenic composition of the tumor thereby alkylating the tumor. Transplants of tumor tissue alkylated with alpha, beta-unsaturated compounds grow into well-established tumors which are then rejected by their non-pretreated recipients at a rate which is apparently related to the structure of the alkyl side group of the alpha, beta-unsaturated compound. One objective of the proposed research is to develop an in vitro technique of alkylating tumor tissue with a number of different alpha, beta-unsaturated monomers. This will be accomplished by incubating the tumor cells and various C14-labelled monomers in vitro with well- established tissue culture techniques. Analysis of the radioactivity of rigorously washed cells by liquid scintillation techniques will provide evidence as to the uptake (graft copolymerization) of the monomer by tumor cell proteins. Another objective will be to survey a large number of different alpha, beta-unsaturated molecules in an attempt to determine whether a particular monomer; due to it's structural complexity, molecular weight, or rigidity; will enhance the immunogenicity of the transplanted (methacrylated) tumors to such a degree that 100% of the tumors will be rejected by syngeneic recipients. A succeeding objective will be to determine whether that particular methacrylate or acrylate will cause animals which have once rejected a methacrylated or acrylated tumor transplant to be completely resistant to additional challenge with untreated cells. Another objective is to determine whether C14-labelled alpha, beta-unsaturated compounds become firmly linked to a wide variety of different types of rodent or human tumors. One further objective is to determine whether autochthonous canine tumor tissue, which remains in situ, can be caused to be rejected by transplanting methacrylated cells of this same tumor to the autochthonous host.